I am beyond excited to share a very special quilt with you! This gorgeous wall hanging was made by one of my pattern testers, Rachel Fields of RF Quilt Studio. It features the Drift pattern, which I’ll be hosting a Quilt Along for next month. Seeing quilts made from my patterns is such a treat—it’s truly one of my favorite things! Rachel’s quilt showcases the versatility of the design with a soft color palette that creates a beautiful contrast to the other versions I’ve shared so far.

The blues, creams, and tans—such a perfect palette that makes me think of the sky!

I love learning about everyone’s quilting journey, so I asked her to answer a few questions. Grab yourself a cup of coffee and let’s get to know Rachel from RF Quilt Studio.

Tell me about yourself
I live in Madison, Alabama — right next to Huntsville (now the biggest city in Alabama). We’re located in the northern part of the state, close to the Tennessee line.

I’m married — Curtis and I just celebrated 36 years of marriage! We have two daughters, Heather and Courtney. Heather is married and has her own interior design business in Arkansas. Courtney just completed her master’s degree with an early elementary teaching certificate and will be teaching 1st grade this fall at a private school in Huntsville.

We’ve lived in Huntsville for 37 years. Curtis’s job brought us here from Arkansas, where we met and attended college at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. I was born and raised in Africa, along with my three siblings. My parents were British.

How long have you been quilting
I grew up sewing — my mother taught me, and my grandmother was a seamstress. My sister also quilts, but her work leans more toward art quilts, and I really admire what she creates with her longarm.

My quilting journey began when my sister came to visit and we decided to update my youngest daughter’s room while she was away. We refreshed her comforter by sewing fabric over it. After that, I decided to make a quilt for my own bed — and that was the start of my quilting path. That was about 15 years ago. I’ve never finished that quilt for my bed — the top is done, but I realized along the way that I don’t really like it!

My first quilting space was just a corner of our enclosed garage. Now I have an entire room, and I love having my longarm — “Samantha,” a Grace Q’nique 19”. I do most of my sewing on my Baby Lock Destiny, named “Serena,” and I also have a Singer (“Sally”) and a small Brother machine that I travel with (“Sarah”).

What I love most about quilting is playing with color. The same quilt pattern can look completely different depending on your choices — add a border or not, and the look changes again. It’s a creative process that results in something beautiful and usable. The quilting community is incredibly welcoming and helpful — it’s not competitive, because we’re each on our own creative journey. There are so many tips and tricks shared among quilters. Now, whenever we travel, I always look up quilt shops nearby — and I’ve met some wonderful people along the way. Quilt shops always seem to know the best places to eat, too!

I have a goal: I’d love to showcase one of my quilts in a quilt show someday.

Tell me about RF Quilt Studio

My business officially started in 2023, although I had been making quilts for friends and family long before that. I completed the APQS Longarm Certification course offered by Fons and Porter, which gave me the confidence to launch my own business offering both quilting services and custom quilts.

I truly love creating for my clients—whether it’s a baby quilt, a memory animal, a T-shirt quilt, or a set of table runners. This is my full-time job, though it hardly feels like work because I enjoy it so much.

Over the past few years, I’ve attended various quilt shows and taken classes to improve my skills and techniques. I also love browsing vendor booths and admiring the show quilts. One of the hats I’ve added to my collection is quilt pattern tester, which I absolutely love! It keeps me busy, challenges me to learn new techniques, and gives me the chance to help fellow quilters. Of course, it also means I end up with a lot of quilts—so I now have several available for sale.

I enjoy every aspect of this work—from creating something new to helping clients bring their quilt projects to life.

I do still have a website at rfquiltstudio.com, though I haven’t updated it in a while and I’m not sure how much longer I’ll keep it, as it hasn’t brought in much business. I’m more active on Facebook and Instagram under the same name: RF Quilt Studio.

About the Drift Pattern
I’ve enjoyed testing your other patterns, and when this one was offered, I jumped at the chance. It was a challenge I had been wanting to tackle — curves! They always seemed intimidating, but this pattern made them feel approachable. And because it’s a wall hanging, it felt like an achievable challenge. Now this quilt holds an even deeper meaning for me. My mother-in-law passed away nearly two weeks ago. She loved quails and cardinals, and she really loved this quilt. When I look at it now, it makes me smile and remember her. She was also a quilter — a hand quilter — and quilted most of her life. I will be inheriting her quilting frame. She always supported my quilting journey, and I like to think she’ll be watching me from above.

In fact, during the past few months, I had been caring for her and created another small studio at her house, which she affectionately named “Studio West.” It’s been a great comfort to have a place to sew, to take my mind off things, and to feel rejuvenated.

Tell me about a special family tradition
A family tradition we’ve celebrated for many years is “Thankmas” with my in-laws. Over Thanksgiving weekend, we celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday and then Christmas on Saturday. That way, once the kids grew up, we could all be at our own homes for Christmas Day. My girls still have Christmas stockings, and they’re allowed to open them before getting out of bed — we open gifts together later, after breakfast.

---

THANK YOU!
Oh my goodness!! I love all of this!! First off, congratulations on your anniversary. What a wonderful story! I love that you have been sewing your whole life. That key people in your life have encouraged and even guided you through your quilting journey. I am so sorry that you lost your mother-in-law. I am sure she is watching over you and maybe even pulling the thread out of your needle just to say hi.

Thank you so much for testing my patterns. I believe my testers make me and my patterns better. Thank you for sharing your story. I can’t wait to learn more.

Sending you a big hug and lots of love!!